World Health Organization Declares Coronavirus a Global Health Emergency

Thursday, January 30, 2020
GoLocalPDX News Team

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Coronavirus a global emergency during a press conference on Thursday.

This comes as the virus continues to spread outside of China, including at least five confirmed cases in the United States, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"The main reason for this declaration is not what is happening in China, but what is happening in other countries," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

According to WHO, the death toll in China due to the virus is at 170. 

WHO adds that there have been 98 cases in 18 countries outside of China, but no deaths have been reported.

'We don’t know what sort of damage this virus could do if it were to spread in a country with a weaker health system. We must act now to help countries prepare for that possibility," added Adhanom.

About Coronavirus

According to RI Health, coronaviruses are common in many different species of animals, including camels and bats.

Rarely, these coronaviruses can evolve and infect humans and then spread between humans.

Recent examples of this include Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).